Page 20 of Elas (Mate’s Mark #2)
He blows out a long breath, his cheeks puffing out as he nods and tucks the file under his arm. “Yeah, yeah… you’re right. I’m sorry. This is just…” He stops and shakes his head, meeting my eyes once again. “This is confidential.”
“Okay, yeah, I understand.” My weight shifts between my feet as he stares for an unnervingly long time.
Finally, he seems satisfied, and turns towards the door.
“Thanks again for the help?” It comes out as a question, and he pauses with his hand on the knob.
Dark brown eyes meet mine over his shoulder, topping a smile that feels forced.
“You’re welcome, August.” He slips through the door before I can say anything else, and his voice carries as he hisses at someone in the hallway. “Take my next appointment. I need to speak to the chief.”
What the hell just happened?
The only sound is the faint hum of the fan rotating overhead, and the occasional flutter of paper when the wind catches a loose corner. It’s the type of silent that comes before a storm. Adrenaline spikes through my veins and my heart thuds, contradicting the peaceful atmosphere.
I’m not sure what I’m waiting for, only that it feels like something is about to happen.
“That was weird,” I finally whisper to myself, and the tiny file on the cabinet flutters its reluctant agreement.
“Yeah, okay, I hear you. I have work to do.” Hyperaware of every noise in the building, I return to my task.
Fifteen uneventful minutes go by, and I’m starting to relax when a series of footsteps echo down the hallway, punctuated by whispered voices.
The conversation is muffled, so I tiptoe to the door and place my ear against it as I strain to listen. I catch my name but can’t decipher anything else until I hear the metal grind of a key. Unless I open the door, I’ll miss whatever is happening. My hand lands on the knob and I hesitate.
This is stupid—it’s none of my business what they’re doing out there. Still, my hand stays on the knob, tensed and ready, until I can’t bear it any longer.
Curiosity’s defeat of logic will be my downfall.
Sweat on my palm makes the knob slippery as I twist it, heart thudding as I wait for any indication that someone heard me. When nothing happens, I inch the door forward, thankful for the greased hinges. I peek through the miniscule opening and hold my breath.
Flynn stands with Chief Aeliphis outside a doorway I’ve never seen anyone use. Their conversation is tense as the chief pushes the door open and flicks a light on. Rows of files line the large room, each of them as thick as the one I found behind the cabinet, but they quickly vanish inside.
The door I hold on to is ripped from my grasp, and my voice cracks in a startled shout before I can stop it. I slap my hand over my mouth, my cheeks heating as Elas’s wide, questioning eyes stare down at me.
“Seven hells, Elas, you scared the piss out of me. You can’t just sneak up on people like that!”
The momentary flicker of irritation bleeds into concern as he studies me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What’s wrong? ”
“Nothing,” I blurt out, too quickly, and his skeptical gaze lingers. “Is it time to go home?”
He nods slowly, those dark eyes still locked on mine. “The chief wasn’t in her office, so I couldn’t…” The doorway down the hall opens and Chief Aeliphis steps out with Flynn on her heels. They both freeze when they spot us standing there, and Flynn reaches behind him to slam the door shut.
Elas is oblivious to everything weird that’s happened in the past half hour, and he offers them a bright smile.
“Hey Chief! Do you need anything else from August before I steal him?” Her eyes fix on mine as I work to keep my face impassive.
Elas’s hand lands on the small of my back, his fingers flexing gently as though he senses my need for his calm.
“No,” she finally says, moving her stern gaze to him. “There’s nothing pressing this afternoon. Flynn tells me you’ll be wrapping up in there tomorrow?” Her attention returns to me as she nods at the doorway we’re standing in.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.” The single word is sharp as a tack as it hangs in the air. It’s beyond my ability to fake a smile at the moment, so instead, I focus on securing the door behind me. The weirdness has my stomach rolling, and I’m ready to escape.
“I’ll have to find some other way to keep you occupied after that’s done, won’t I, Mr. Beckett?” I can’t tell if there’s an underlying threat in her words, or if too much time alone has allowed my imagination to run wild.
Idle minds are a conspiracy theorist’s playground, after all.
“Yes ma’am,” I repeat dutifully, and she dismisses us with a terse nod.
Elas doesn’t move his hand off my lower back as we weave through the hallways, and I breathe a little easier when we step outside.
Gray clouds line the sky, a misty rain falling that somehow amplifies the heat.
It feels as though we’re walking through a sauna, and sweat beads on my forehead.
“Want to tell me what’s going on?” Elas asks, low enough that his voice doesn’t carry.
“Not yet.” He nods, and I’m amazed at the relaxed way he strolls as tension leaches off my body like poisonous gas. I’m so in my head that I don’t even realize we’re at the barracks until Elas releases me to open the door.
As soon as we step inside, he turns to me with his arms crossed over his massive chest. “Spill, doc.”
“I saw something today I wasn’t supposed to see.”
His brow arches. “What was it?”
“I don’t… I don’t know, exactly. What does ‘lee-yoh-mer’ mean?” When he only raises his brows in confusion, I shake my head. “Give me something to write with.” Elas opens a drawer and hands me a pencil and random piece of paper that sits on the counter, and I spell it out.
“Ljómur?” he reads, scratching his chin. “It’s from the common language. It means…” He trails off as something crosses his face, and he stares at the written word like it might have the power to tell him more .
“Elas?” His gaze flickers back up to mine, his jaw tense. “Elas, come on. Don’t lie to me. What does it mean?”
“Glow. It means glow.” His eyes flicker to my chest, and my heart that had finally started to settle kicks into overdrive once more.
“Do you think this has something to do with these marks?” I ask, grabbing his hand and dragging it over my heart. He draws in a sharp breath as we touch, and my skin crackles like it’s full of electricity underneath his palm.
“I don’t know, baby,” he murmurs, his enormous fingers flexing against my chest, and another rush of adrenaline punches through my veins like it does every time he’s called me by the pet name.
“We’ll figure this out, August, I fucking swear to you.
Let me…” He cuts himself off, clenching his jaw again as he glances at the clock on the wall.
“You have to go,” I realize, and he grinds his teeth so tightly the muscles in his face spasm under the pressure.
“I wish I didn’t,” he says, stepping so close that it takes my breath away. “Gods, I would give anything to stay.”
“It’s alright,” I whisper, and his hard edges soften into a smile that’s full of apologies.
“You know the drill. Keep the door locked and stay away from the windows. Try to get some rest.” His eyes search my face, and he knows me well enough by now that he realizes my mind will keep me awake tonight.
“Careful there,” I tease, offering him the best smile I can muster at the moment. “Or I might start to think you care about me. ”
His gloved hand reaches up to smooth my hair back as he turns serious. “Of course I care about you, August.”
The sincerity behind his words clogs my throat, and it takes a few tries before I clear it. “I care about you, too,” I finally whisper. “More than I should.” The secret slips its way past my defenses as I wait for his reaction, and I swear I catch a hint of sadness in his eyes.
“Maybe it’s just as much as you should.” My cheeks burn, but in true Elas fashion, he tosses me a wink.
“I am pretty amazing, after all.” A surprised laugh bubbles out of me as he finally breaks into a grin, one that crinkles all the way up the sides of his face.
It eases my worry enough that I sigh and let him go, but I don’t look away as he walks out the door, and I’m left in the silence once again.